Cup holder



Oct, 4, 1955 J. H. DAVIS CUP HOLDER Filed Feb. '7, 19

Z7\ Z2 Z4 F1g4 IN M 1+/ M55 M22592 2 BY \fg United States Patent CUP HOLDER James H. Davis, Birmingham, Ala. Application February 7, 1952, Serial No. 270,468

1 Claim. (Cl. 65-65) This invention relates to a cup holder and has for an object the provision of such a cup holder which may be detachably secured to a plate for use when eating away from a table, such as outdoors, on picnics or the like.

Another object of my invention is to provide a cup holder which may be detachably secured to any type of plate without the necessity of having to provide openings in the plate for receiving the holder.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a cup holder of the character designated which shall be simple of construction, economical of manufacture and one which may be formed of many suitable materials.

Briefly my improved device for supporting a cup from a plate comprises a substantially annular cup receiving member and spring members associated with the cup receiving member for detachably clamping the device to a plate. The device may be formed of any suitable material such as metal, plastic, reinforced paper fiber or the like and is adapted for attachment to any type of plate.

Devices embodying features of my invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the cup holder, showing the same attached to a plate;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the cup holder shown in Fig.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view showing a modified form of cup holder; and,

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the cup holder shown in Fig. 3, drawn to a slightly smaller scale.

Referring now to the drawing for a better understanding of my invention, I show in Figs. 1 and 2 a cup holder indicated generally by the numeral detachably secured to a plate 11. The holder 10 is preferably formed of a relatively flat sheet of material and comprises an anular cup supporting member 12 of a size to receive a cup 13 and support the same by engaging the sides of the cup. Secured to and extending outwardly from the cup supporting member 12 is a relatively flat spring member 14. The spring member 14 is bent downwardly and then outwardly adjacent the outer end thereof, as at 15, so as to fit over the rim of the plate 11 and bear against the inner side of the plate. Extending outwardly from the annular cup supporting member 12 on each side of the spring member 14 are a pair of spring members 16 and 17 which extend outwardly and downwardly from the cup supporting member 12 and are bent upwardly adjacent the outer end thereof, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, to bear against the bottom of the plate.

To secure the cup holder 10 to a plate 11 the free end of the spring member 14 is separated from the free ends of the spring members 16 and 17 and the rim of the plate 11 is inserted therebetween. The spring members then assume the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 1, thereby clamping the holder 10 to the plate 11. An opening 18 is provided in the annular cup supporting "ice portion 12 and extends into the inner end of the spring member 14 for clearance for a handle 19 of the cup 13, thus assuring that the cup remains in a position substantially perpendicular to the plate 11 at all times. By providing the opening 18 on the side of the device adjacent the plate, the handle 19 of the cup is always in easy reach of the person using the device. The holder is equally adapted for supporting cups which have no handle.

In Figs. 3 and 4 I show a slightly modified form of my invention in which the cup holder 10:: is formed from substantially round material such as wire or the like. A cup supporting portion 21 is formed by bending the wire material to form a circular portion which almost surrounds the cup 13a. The free ends of the wire are then bent outwardly parallel to each other and downwardly away from the cup supporting portion 21 to form lower spring members 22 and 23 which are adapted to to bear against the underside of the plate 11. Secured to the spring members 22 and 23 adjacent the points where they are connected to the cup supporting portion 21 are outwardly and downwardly extending upper spring members 24 and 26, respectively. The members 24 and 26 may be secured to the members 22 and 23 in any suitable manner, such as by soldering, twisting or welding. The outer ends of the spring members 24 and 26 are joined by a laterally extending member 27, thereby forming a substantially U-shaped spring member comprising the spring member 24, 26 and the laterally extending member 27. The laterally extending member 27 gives added strength to the device and prevents the spring members from being spread apart in a lateral direction.

To secure the cup holder 10a to a plate, the free ends of the lower spring members 22 and 23 are separated from the upper spring members 24 and 26 and the lateral member 27 by forcing the upper and lower spring members away from each other. The device is then clamped over the rim of the plate 11 as shown in Fig. 3. The members 22 and 23 bear against the bottom of the plate 11 while the members 24, 26 and the lateral member 27 fit over the rim of the plate and bear against the inner surface of the plate, thus clamping the device to the plate.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a cup holder which is simple of construction and very economical of manufacture. While I show the cup holder as being detachably secured to a china plate, it will be apparent that other types of plates may be employed, such as paper, plastic or the like. Also, while I show the cup as being a paper cup other types of cups may be employed such as china, plastic or the like.

While I have shown my invention in but two forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various other changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claim.

What I claim is:

In a device for supporting a cup from a plate, a relatively flat annular cup supporting member, a relatively flat upper spring member extending outwardly of said supporting member and disposed to engage the upper surface of a plate, and at least one relatively flat lower spring member extending outwardly and downwardly from said supporting member adjacent the first mentioned spring member and disposed to engage the underside of the plate whereby the plate is clamped between said. upper and lower spring members with the cup supporting member positioned outwardly thereof, there being a recess in the annular cup supporting member and the inner portion of the spring member which is disposed to engage the upper surface of the plate for receiving a cup handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Veder Nov. 11, 1930 Crane Apr. 9, 1935 Raiser Apr. 29, 1941 Freud et al. Jan. 12, 1943 Birkin Dec. 3, 1946' Weidler Dec. 31, 1946 Weidler Sept. 23, 1947 

